2001 Toyota Avalon XLS review from North America

I had to replace the transmission fluid surprisingly (I thought) early at 25K, when shifting became a bit abrupt. That $120 job solved the problem.

Besides that, the car has been flawless.

I have read about the potential "gelling" of engine oil in Avalons, which leads to engine failure. I am careful to stick to the required maintenance schedule. When I stumbled across this on the web about 2 years ago, I saw from Toyota's site that it had accepted responsibility and would replace an engine that failed from this problem up to 100K miles - with records of regular service. Save those Jiffy Lube invoices.

Riding in this car is like cruising a bank vault, and I mean that in a good way. The ride is smooth. The interior is quiet. The cabin is roomy. The rear seat is limo-like. My friends love riding in this car. I can drive all day in this car and not get tired.

Mechanically, the car has been exceptional. I have had no repair problems at all. Maintenance costs are exceptionally low. The car gets some hard use because 80-90% of my driving is stop and go city.

The power train is smooth, although a car this nice should have more than 3 gears (plus overdrive). Gas mileage is unusually high for a car with this power, size, and weight - 20 in stop-and-go, 31-33 at 60-65 MPH, and about 26 at the 75-85 range.

I think handling is good - really much better than the quiet ride would suggest. We also have a 2000 Passat, which should be more fun to drive, but isn't because we always seem to be heading to the shop.